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When he arrived at the scene he notice a large boat, about 7m long, on its side, about 15m off the beach.

"There were six people retrieving their belongings from the water's edge," he said.

The occupants were tourists who had hired a boat, setting off just an hour before from Mooloolaba, he said.

All people on board have been accounted for, he said, and while an ambulance was called to treat one person who had swallowed water and was suffering from shock, all six occupants are safe and had suffered no injuries.

It was very strange, Mr Waters agreed, to find a boat of this size capsized so close to land. He put it down to inexperience.

"I think they had just come in too close to shore and been caught by a couple of larger waves," Mr Waters said.

"A couple of set waves came through and hit the vessel while it was side-on, and flipped it.

"I think they were inexperienced tourists.

"The boat was a hire boat and they were planning a day trip, but the boat only left Mooloolaba an hour before the incident.

"They were planning to get out to the island (Old Woman Island) but had come in shore."